This is not your grandma’s brittle. First off, there are no peanuts. Just seeds. Green pepitas (pumpkin seeds), black sesame seeds, and yellow mustard seeds.

Grandma added baking soda, it foamed and added air to her brittle. But that also makes it opaque. I leave it out so the crisp sugar stays clear, and you can see the colorful seeds.

And I slather it in dark chocolate, of course. It is dangerously good. So good it will become a holiday tradition at our house.

Move fast

This recipe comes together quickly, so quickly you must be prepared for every step before you start cooking. And it is dangerous to make. You boil sugar until it browns and emits tiny wafts of smoke. Then you have to work very, very quickly to add the rest of the ingredients, and thinly roll the molten sugar between two sheets of parchment paper.

You MUST read the recipe thoroughly and completely before starting. Have everything measured and all your equipment ready before you start cooking.

Caution

And this in only slightly in jest, put yellow caution tape around the kitchen before starting to protect small children, pets, and curious bystanders. At least tell everyone to Stay Out Of Your Way! This stuff is like lava, it is HOT.

In a heavy saucepan put sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, just a few minutes. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. A rubber spatula will melt.

Cook until the mixture is the color of the toasted sesame oil. It will start to smoke. Remove from the heat.

Add the sesame oil and seeds. Quickly stir to combine. Return to heat briefly if the mixture has become too stiff to stir.

Immediately pour mixture onto one sheet of parchment paper. Top with the other piece and use the rolling pin to flatten to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Again, work quickly.

Remove the top piece of parchment and scatter the chocolate over the top of the warm brittle. Allow to melt, this will take 5 to 10 minutes.

If the brittle is too cool to melt the chocolate, you can put the paper with the brittle and chocolate in a 150-degree oven for a few minutes.

When the chocolate is melted, smooth with a knife or an off set spatula. Put brittle in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate, 20-30 minutes. Break brittle into irregular pieces.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. A pretty tin is best.

$10,000 Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure Contest

This brittle was an entry into the annual Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure contest last year. This contest pairs their chocolate with a different list of “adventure” ingredients each year.

This year there are two $10,000 prizes!! One for sweet recipes, one for savory recipes. You can still enter. The deadline is January 3, 2010. Many Scharffen Berger products are gluten free. Click here for their statement.

Last year the adventure list included several seeds and palm sugar. This recipe was originally written with palm sugar. It is worth stocking in your pantry. But I am guessing that more of us have white sugar than palm sugar in the cupboard. The amount is the same, no matter which you choose to use.